The São Paulo fairgrounds are set to host, from May 20 to 24, the fourteenth Feiplastic fair, the main event in this sector in South America that, until the previous edition, went by the name of Brasilplast. Around 40 Italian companies will be taking part in the event as part of the national pavillion coordinated by Assocomaplast, the Italian Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery and Moulds Manufacturers' Association.
Ahead of this event, Promaplast has been working hard to promote the Italian presence at the Brazilian fair, even issuing a special publication in Portuguese entitled  "Machines Italia at Feiplastic 2013" (available in electronic format at http://documenti.assocomaplast.org/attach/machinesitaliaatfeiplastic2013.pdf), as well as a separate catalogue devoted only to the Italian exhibitors joining the national pavilion (this, too, can be accessed online: http://documenti.assocomaplast.org/attach/BrochureFeiplastic_web-Copia.pdf). Furthermore, several thousand local processors have been invited to visit the Italian hall, to gather information and updates on the most innovative technical solutions offered by the Italian manufacturers.
The latest figures issued by Abiplast, the Brazilian sector association, show that the local plastic processing industry numbers around 12,000 companies – half of which operate in injection moulding and a quarter in extrusion – and employs at least 355,000 people. Last year, the demand for plastic products reached around 23.26 billion euros, which represents an increase of 8.5% compared with 2011. Production, however, was stagnant, recording a 0.4% decrease, due in particular to the negative performance of the sheet extrusion sector. The region's processors consume at least 6.5 million tons of polymers each year, of which 53% is used to produce packaging and 20% in the construction industry. Local production, however, is not sufficient to meet domestic demand, which means that there is a certain dependence on imports (mainly of sheets and film), which, in volume terms - over 540,000 tons in 2011 - still amount to more than twice the volume of exports. Around 2000 processing companies work  in the rubber sector, employing 60,000 people and generating a turnover in the region of 2.6 billion dollars, using almost 900,000 tons of elastomers, over 500,000 of which are synthetic, and mainly produced locally. In particular, almost 35 million tyres for cars and heavy vehicles are produced each year.
According to the Brazilian statistics authority, imports of plastics and rubber machinery in 2011 were worth almost 1.3 billion dollars, up 59% on the 790 million recorded in 2010. In particular, purchases of injection moulding machines rose sharply (+27%, topping the 270 million dollar mark, with over a third coming from China) and there was also a remarkable increase in imports of extruders (+83%, to over 140 million dollars, with a quarter coming from Germany). Albeit in the context of lower absolute values, there were also notable increases in imports of blow moulding machines (+15%, for a total of 62 million dollars) and presses for tyres and inner tubes (+309%, over 44 million). In 2012, Italian exported plastics and rubber machinery to Brazil to the value of just over 81 million euros.